new guy with nine fingers

[1index only]

Hi all name is Bill and yep you got it! only nine I got a used bt3k and was using it improperly obviously when I pushed my right hand directly into blade. Two cuts to the thumb and an index finger split down the center, literally made two out of one! well it didn't heal up correctly so back in Dec had the doc lopp it off inside the hand, no longer have an index finger at all. Oh well its not too bad, I can still write with it and do most everything else. I foung this site looking for a pair of rails cause mine are gone, figured I say HI!

[MBG]

Sorry to hear of your injury, but, please change you user name (I'll cringe every time I see it).

[1index only]

figured it fit

[91FE]

WOW

[Pappy]

Welcome to the Asylum, Bill! You should fit right in!

[ddamoore]

Welcome aboard Bill.

Seems to me there are a few posts about a red line around in here somewhere...oh wait...sorry, to late for that.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

[Otter]

Welcome, welcome....try to keep the rest of the digits.

[John Hunter]

Welcome aboard!

[axio]

Whoa, sorry to hear that. I hope you keep the rest of em.... look into a Sharkguard, best $100 you could ever spend. Seriously.

[lcm1947]

Man, that's a bad deal. Sorry to hear it happened to you or anybody for that matter. Man! Anyway, welcome to the forum and may that be the worst you ever have to experience in this life time. Take care and be seeing you around.

[oldninefingers]

well my wife calls me "oldninefingers"

when ever I head off to the shop as a joke...I think... I do still have all ten digits

[jdschulteis]

Hi Bill! Sorry about your finger, glad you're getting on without it. You must love woodworking to be sticking with it. I have a coworker who quit the hobby--he mauled his left index and middle fingers, best the docs could do was attach the middle finger tip to the index stub, leaving him with a middle stub and a short index finger.

So, we know about your finger. What happened to your rails?

--
Jerry

[jgrobler]

Whoa, sorry to hear that. I hope you keep the rest of em.... look into a Sharkguard, best $100 you could ever spend. Seriously.

How would a Sharkguard prevent this, as opposed to the standard guard?

[gmack5]

Congratulations on the acquisition of your BT3100 and welcome to the "family".

One of the first things you need to do, after you get your BT3100 Saw assembled is, following your Owner's Manual, go thru the entire set-up proceedure, step by step, in the sequence laid out in the Manual. Each set up proceedure builds on the one before it, so you MUST keep them in sequence.

Usually the Saw is set up properly, right out of the box, but you should still check it as this gets you familiar with all the adjustments on the saw and assures you that everything is as it should be.

Here's some free plans that'll keep you busy for a while. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/r...ex.php?cat=102

And here's some additional information about your Saw that you may find useful.

Regardless of what you've read or others have told you, NEVER NEVER use any wax or lubricant on your saw that contains Silicone, this includes all automobile waxes and polishes and most spray-on furniture polishes. The reason is simple, most of them contain Silicones and they will make your projects difficult to finish.
Silicones repell liquid, making "fish eyes" in your finishes, this will force you to remove the Silicones from your project and start over. That stuff (Silicone) migrates all over every where, don't ask me how, it just does. If you put it in one place, eventually it will be all over the entire saw.

Your best bet is to use a "dry" lubricant, such as Teflon (PTFE), Powdered Graphite, or Candle Wax for the Raising/Lowering and Tilt mechanisms below the table top.

Then use either Johnson's Paste Wax, Minwax's "Finishing Wax" or Butcher's Wax on the working surfaces, table tops (All three of them) and the Rip Fence.

Do NOT Wax the Front and Rear rails or the Miter Fence. As a mater of fact, you may want to glue 220 grit sand-paper to the front face of the Miter Fence, cause you don't WANT things to slide on there.

Something you might think about is the use of a set of Draftsman's Triangles instead of the Carpenter's Square that they show in the Owner's Manual for setting up your saw.

An accurate Carpenter's Square is almost a myth!
A good one will cost you quite a bit of money, $40 - $75, or more. I would recommend that you consider using a pair of Draftsman's 30 -60 and 45 degree triangles instead. You'll find they're not near as expensive and are far more accurate than a run-of-the-mill Carpenter's Square. The 30 -60 triangle should have one 12" leg and the other leg would be 9" long. The 45 degree triangle should have at least 8" legs on either side of the 90 degree corner. That way either one can be put up against the side of the Saw Blade without touching the saw teeth.

Just remember, regardless of which measuring instrument you choose to use, check it(them) to be sure they're accurate. When checking the Miter Fence for Square to the Blade with a triangle, use the 12" 30-60, if possible.

One of the other "tricks" that I've discovered is to take a piece of "Wax" paper, fold it several times and rub it in the grooves that the "T" nuts that lock your Rails in place ride in. Makes the Rails move smooth as Butter.

Last, but not least, don't forget to paint the RED line!
It's a line that extends the line-of-sight from the saw blade to the front edge of the table to remind you NOT to let your Miter Fence or your FINGERS get in the way of the saw blade. Just put red paint, nail polish, or what ever, in the grove that extends towards the operator from the front edge of the saw blade.

[monte]

Welcome to the group.